Advice & Inspiration

Have you ever wondered how many doctors in Kyrgyzstan your income could fund? Or how long it takes a labourer in Indonesia to earn enough to buy a can of cola compared to you? Want to know your how many children your wealth could protect from malaria in Malawi?

If you earn a modest $50,000 annually then you are in the top 1% of the richest people in the world.

When you input your yearly income or total wealth the interactive The Global Rich List site will supply you with comparative statistics from around the world that will surprise you.

To check out this very cool website and perhaps put your financial situation in a global perspective click here.

Today, the inaugural Fish Scholarship was announced, with the recipient being named as Chantelle Baxter from Melbourne based non-profit organisation, One Girl.

One Girl focuses on empowering women and girls in Sierra Leone so that they can create and lead change in their communities. Established in 2009, they believe that education and economic empowerment are vital when it comes to tackling the issues faced by women and girls.

“My big goal, and the goal for One Girl, is to educate one million girls across Africa by 2020. This isn’t going to happen by chance. This will happen because we learn, grow, develop and push ourselves consistently in the directions of our dreams,” says Chantelle.

“It will be my first ever fundraising course. I have no doubt I’m going to learn a lot. I’ll gain knowledge beyond what I’ve learned through trial and error – and take a huge step towards really understanding how fundraising works,” said Chantelle.

“We are so excited about awarding our first Fish Scholarship recipient and we hope this educational opportunity can help Chantelle to develop more skills and really learn about ways she can take One Girl’s fundraising to the next level,” says Bianca Crocker, Director of Fish Community Solutions.

In light of National Volunteer Week that came to a close yesterday, I’d like to share a message with you from a lovely young woman I met last month when I traveled to Bali. Although the time we spent together wasn’t all that long, with the commonalities in both our approach to life and keen interest in making a difference in the world, I believe we formed a friendship that will last for years.

Lauren Moss is a kind-hearted, twenty-something, big-dreaming gal who has had vast experience in the world of volunteering both in paid roles in volunteer management and as a volunteer herself. In this post, Lauren shares with us her advice on keeping your volunteers happy:

When it comes to volunteering there are a lot of things that can go right and a lot of things that can go wrong. It is extremely important to get all the pieces of the volunteering jigsaw in place before accepting volunteers into your organisation. So, with that being said, here are five tips on how to keep your volunteers happy, master these and you will be off to a great start!

1. Be prepared for your volunteers
The worst thing is walking into an organisation as a volunteer, excited to help in whatever way you can and having no guidance. Make sure you have a great volunteer handbook explaining everything in detail that is sent out before your volunteer’s arrival, this way they will already be aware of what to expect from you and what you expect from them. Also, have a really good welcome and induction. You need to make sure your volunteers feel comfortable from the get-go and that all queries and concerns are cleared up as early as possible.

2. Tap into volunteer motives
Everyone volunteers for different reasons and it is important to know those reasons and look for ways that you can satisfy them. Find out what their skills are and why they are wanting to be part of your organisation, that way you can really get the most out of every person and that will keep both you and them very happy.

3. Communication is key!
Regular communication is motivating for volunteers and a lack of it will be sure to stop them helping out. Volunteers like to have a particular person to look to, so make sure you have a very good Volunteer Co-ordinator in place who can be there to respond to concerns immediately. I would also suggest having a volunteer feedback form so you have a record of what your volunteers think about your organisation and your volunteering program, this way you will always have ideas on how to improve.

4. Show appreciation
People who volunteer want to make a difference in the World and they want to feel that is happening when they’re volunteering for you. The best ways to do this are to make sure they know they are doing work that is vital to keeping your organisation running, giving thanks often and making them feel as valuable as your paid staff. A really good tip would be to have an event dedicated to your volunteers every year to say thank you for all their hard work!

5. Make volunteering fun!Remember that people are giving up their time for your organisation and not getting paid for it. Of course they will want to work hard but it is also really important to make sure they really enjoy the time that they are volunteering for you. Have a variety of tasks for them to do, maybe you need them to do some office organisation but then you might need that same person (who is a great photographer) to take photos for your upcoming newsletter. By giving a mixture of tasks you will be sure to get the very best out of everyone.

Lauren has had some great experiences on both sides of the volunteering coin and her insights here could really help make a difference in your organisation if you are in the fortunate position to have the support of volunteers. Thanks so much for sharing this important message about volunteers with Fish, Lauren, we appreciate it!

See you in the Pond,

The Fish Chick

P.S. A bit more about Lauren… From managing volunteers as a Wishgranter and then as Events & Challenges Fundraiser at Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, to being fully immersed into the volunteering world herself as a teacher in Ghana and a volunteer coordinator at an orphanage in Bali. Lauren is still on her journey to find her purpose on this planet but getting closer every day, read more about her by visiting http://www.perfectlyimperfectuk.wordpress.com.

Christmas is a time of year when many donors feel especially generous. If your organisation is looking for new ways to enable your donors to give this year, here is one idea you might like to try out.

Your cause can now have their own virtual gift shop through Everyday Hero complete with your organisation’s branding and three virtual gifts of your choice for only $1,495 (plus GST).

There are many gifts to choose from including a toy for a child, a food hamper for a family or even a goat. All you need to do is tell Everyday Hero which three gifts you would like in your shop and how much you want them to cost.

After purchase of the gifts, eCards are sent to your donors (or their gift recipient) with your logo and an image of their virtual gift.

The gifts are suitable for just about anyone, especially the person who is tricky to buy for. Being easy to set up and simple for donors to use is a big positive.

Making sure your volunteers feel appreciated is one of the most important things you can do… if you want to keep them around! After all, they freely give their time and energy and expect little in return – certainly they don’t do it for the money! There are a number of ways that you can make your volunteers feel special. Here are some ideas below, and while most of them seem quite obvious, I’m surprised at how many non profits forget them!

We’re so glad to see you!

There’s nothing like a warm welcome to greet you on arrival and it’s a sure way to your volunteers heart. Make sure you include your vollies in conversations and let them know that what they are doing is important and valued. Be sure to ask them how their week has been or what they did on the weekend – and take an interest in them as individuals.

Coffee with heart

Include your volunteers in the coffee run

Buy them a coffee! $3.50 is money well spent and such an easy way to show your appreciation.

Ongoing training and opportunities

Where possible offer your volunteers the opportunity to learn new skills through training. Encourage them to develop their volunteer skills within the organisation or take on other roles that they might find interesting or challenging.

By doing so you will increase their feeling of being valued and reduce volunteer turnover. If your volunteer applies for a job elsewhere show your support by providing a written reference or agreeing to be a referee.

Formal recognition

Make sure you tap into the opportunity to thank your volunteers by celebrating International Volunteer Day and National Volunteer Week (NVW). Volunteering Australia has some great information regarding NVW – with everything from celebration tips to Fast Facts about NVW – check out their website for more information here.

Hold your own volunteer thank you function – high tea, barbeque, picnic lunch or breakfast is a great opportunity for a get-together of staff and volunteers. Part of the function could be a formal presentation ceremony where volunteers can be presented with a certificate, badge or organisation t-shirt.

Some non profits hold activities such as bare-foot bowling or a movie night so that volunteers can get a sense of how they fit into the overall structure of the organisation and the good they are doing.

You could also consider nominating your volunteers for awards or even featuring a volunteer in your newsletter.

Don’t forget the little things…

Birthday and Christmas cards.

An anniversary card highlighting their year(s) of service. Note how they made a difference in your organisation over the past year.

A little (or big) card saying well done with a chocolate waiting on their desk following a recent project they completed.

Just say it – “Thank you!”

Just two small words – thank you – but they mean so much. Let your volunteers know you appreciate their time and effort. They could have been spending their time playing tennis, having lunch with friends or having their nails done – instead they chose to help your organisation.

Whilst recognising and celebrating volunteers’ achievements can take some time and planning, it is well worth it as the rewards can be substantial. It will help maintain volunteer loyalty and increase retention levels, which in turn benefits your organisation.

Do you agree with these ways of acknowledging volunteers? Are there any other ways you recognise your unpaid team members? Let us know.